Songs I liked this week

Sometimes there are too much good music for me to be able to write a single post about every band I want to give a mention. So, here is my way of dealing with that. Here are some of the things I have enjoyed this week. Other than music, I definitely enjoy that SPRING is here! Yay!
If you think I missed something great, tell me in the comments!

Panda Panda – “New Friends”

Panda Panda from Trondheim, Norway makes the most wonderful, dreamy and rich psych-pop with lovely vocals and interesting arrangements, and if you enjoyed their label-mates Gold Celeste and Dråpe‘s releases on Riot Factory last year, you will definitely enjoy this. Lovely stuff! Buy on Bandcamp.

Little My – “V for Five”

Cardiff’s legendary indiepop-collective Little My is back, and their new album “Beeps” will be out on Bubblewrap Collective on 20th May. Their members are MANY, and includes people from bands I love like The School, The Voluntary Butler Scheme, Los Campesinos! and others. This is their new single.

Deerful – “Moon Maps”

Emma Winston aka Deerful will release her new single Moon Maps/Hush Me on Wiaiwya 7th April, and the first song from it is amazingly good. Synthpop with lovely vocals and a fun DIY space travel video. Buy it on Bandcamp.

A Novel Resort is only one man, Michael Kornbeck (also of Northern Portrait) from Denmark, and he makes the loveliest songs. His new EP will be out on Jigsaw on April 1. “Olympia” may be my new favourite song. Buy it on Bandcamp.

Fascinations Grand Chorus – Welcome

…and what a welcome this is! Brooklyn’s Fascinations Grand Chorus is a wonderful new duo consisting of Stephanie (vocals/keyboards) and Andrew (drums), and according to themselves, they were brought together by their love of The Misfits, 1910 Fruitgum Company and certain antiquated arcade games. The choruses these rivaling songwriters make are indeed grand, and their debut single “Welcome” sounds like a mix between 60s girl groups, garage-pop, Phil Spector’s “wall of sound”-releases and modern indiepop like The School. So, Fascinations Grand Chorus, it is very nice to meet you! Welcome! (Follow their Facebook for updates on their upcoming releases).

Lightning in a Twilight Hour – The Sky Beyond the Sky

The new single from Bobby Wratten’s (The Field Mice/Trembling Blue Stars etc) new project Lightning in a Twilight Hour is probably the closest he will get to sounding like his old bands. The four track EP will be out on Elefant Records on 1st April. Buy on Bandcamp.

The Blessed Isles – Caroline

Brooklyn’s The Blessed Isles have five years of recording in studios across four states, and are soon ready to release their debut LP, “Straining Hard Against the Strength of Night”, on Saint Marie Records. The first single “Caroline” is a lovely shoegazy popsong with a chorus that makes me want to sing along. Lovely! The album will be out on 20th of May.

Some of Norway’s finest indiepop-songs comes from Soda Fountain Rag, and it makes me so happy that she is soon ready to deliver another set of songs to us in the form of her new album “Extra Life“, out on 29th of April on We Were Never Boring. Pre-order on Bandcamp.

Red Sleeping Beauty – Mi Amor

We know that the people behind the Swedish indiepop band Red Sleeping Beauty can make lovely songs. They have done it so many times before, and members of the band have also made brilliant music with Acid House Kings, The Shermans and other wonderful bands. It’s just that they have been away for so long. Now they are finally ready to release their first album in 19 years, “Kristina”, which will be out on Labrador Records on 17 June. Can’t wait!

Kidsmoke – “Heartache”

Welsh band Kidsmoke will release their second single of 2016, ‘Heartache’ on April 8. It is recorded by Ben Trow and mixed by Darren Lawson (My Bloody Valentine, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart). This is indiepop with a rich, modern sound, that takes the best out of their old inspirations (they name The Smiths and Joy Division on their Facebook, but I would guess they have been inspired by other bands from the post punk and shoegaze era as well) and they add something new and fresh to it. I like it a lot.

Old Sault – “Ghost”

Old Sault is the moniker for singer, songwriter and guitarist Angie Farr. Her debut EP will soon be out, and I am looking forward to hear if there are more of this beautiful, dreamy music on it.

Les Bicyclettes de Belsize – Since Yesterday

Charlie Darling aka Les Bicyclettes de Belsize has released a Soundcloud only “virtual” EP, ‘The 80’s Weren’t That Bad’, with covers of his favourite songs from the 80s, including China Crisis, Strawberry Switchblade (the song we feature), Fiction Factory and Friends Again. All covers are so good! He adds “vol 1” after the title, so I guess there will be more. I welcome that! Listen to the songs on his Soundcloud.

Astronauts – You can turn it off

Dan Carney’s project Astronauts release another beautiful single from his upcoming album “End codes”, which will be out on Lo Recordings 6th of May. Lovely folky pop with nice glockenspiel-melodies and Carney’s calm, layered vocals. Visit his Facebook for more.